This game was not an uncommon story. Always ranked one of the higher seeds going into the state tournament, Westfield is usually faced against one of the lower, less-talented teams. East Brunswick is one of those teams. The final score? 18-3 Blue Devils.
“Today we really just worked on our game,” head coach Abby Cohn said. “We wanted to perfect everything we talked about and play with respect for a team that is a lower level than us.”
Right from the get-go the Blue Devils took complete control. Junior Julianna Molinelli dodged hard from behind the cage and made a shifty spin move past a defender before putting the ball in the back of the net. It was 1-0 Blue Devils, astonishingly 12 seconds into the game.
Only seconds later, senior Ella McLane cut swiftly through the East Brunswick defense, snagging a nice pass and ripping it over the goalie’s head. With Westfield up 2-0, Cohn paced the sideline, visibly excited. The Blue Devils had been working hard, practicing right after school and watching film to make sure they were competitive in such a competitive group.
“We still need to work on teamwork,” said McLane, knowing the importance of communication in the game. “We really need to work together going into states and need to improve our mentality because it will really help us moving forward.”
Westfield is a member of the North , Group 4 sectional tournament, a group in which Westfield has seen success in in the past, winning the sectional title in 2021. Now, it is dominated by some of the best teams in the state including No. 2 Ridgewood and No. 5 Morristown. However, the Blue Devils’ fierce offense and brick-wall defense is at their advantage.
This advantage was visible against East Brunswick. Westfield continued the onslaught as freshmen Alice Manzo and Gillian Cohen scored a goal and junior goalie Kaitlynn Czarnecki made remarkable saves.
From there, the East Brunswick defense basically shut down. Cohn knew it, too, urging the Blue Devils to go to the net and dodge hard. This strategy worked as Westfield’s shots found its way into the back of the net and the Blue Devils seemed to maintain possession for long, grueling minutes.
With 11 minutes to go in the first half, Westfield was up 9-0 with additional goals from sophomores Abi Mokrzycki and Maddy Coen. East Brunswick managed to score two goals of its own, the lone spark in its offense. The Blue Devils trotted off the field at halftime, leading 12-2.
The second half was not much different. Westfield scored goal after goal after goal. East Brunswick scored one last goal, but all hope was gone.
The Blue Devils made a few substitutions, including one of the most comical moments of the game when Czarnecki was given the opportunity to play midfield. At the end of such a feel-good game, Westfield walked off with smiles and an 18-3 victory.
Mokrzycki led the team with four goals, followed by Cohen, Manzo, Geoghan, and Coen with two each.
“We just need to trust each other,” McLane said. “Trusting each other has been a big issue all year and we need to really work on it moving forward because we play much better offensively.”
Despite such success in the first round, the Blue Devils have a long road ahead of them. However, when it comes to Westfield athletics, an upset is not a foreign word.
Not at all.
